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Post by garej on Jun 21, 2009 11:44:25 GMT 1
About a month ago I had a message on another (non pony book related) forum, from a member saying that I could have a free Enid Blyton book. Naturally I took her up on it, but I had no idea what it was. It turned out to be this one:-  Although I had the Famous Five books as a kid (and still have them in my parent's attic) I did not have the whole series, and this was one of the ones I did not have. It is actually the same cover as the first edition, and is a hardback too, but is the fourth impression. Again, it has the same illustrations as the first edition, so it is a great copy to have. |
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Post by Claire on Jun 21, 2009 12:27:27 GMT 1
That was a nice freebie garej  The hardbacks are very nice books arent they? I have sold loads on ebay and they are very popular. I do like the illustrator Eileen Soper. |
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Post by Buster on Jun 21, 2009 16:30:14 GMT 1
I have that one  its good, and I have that picture on it but its fairly recent. Bought at W H Smiths when I was little! Lol! x |
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Post by garej on Jun 21, 2009 21:26:44 GMT 1
That was a nice freebie garej The hardbacks are very nice books arent they? I have sold loads on ebay and they are very popular. I do like the illustrator Eileen Soper. Yes they are. The ones I have are all pbs, with the exception of one, which is a 3 in 1 job, and an Award hb. If I can find the rest (bearing in mind my parent's attic is bigger than my flat) I will be making a note of what I am missing, and I will be getting the rest in similar hb's. |
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Post by Claire on Jun 21, 2009 23:04:48 GMT 1
Have you any of the hardbacks from the 'adventure' series garej? Once again they are lovely books with superb illustrations (and I always liked the stories better than the Famous Fives!)
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Post by Buster on Jun 23, 2009 14:44:05 GMT 1
Oooh yes the adventure series! I remember I always got this one Enid Blyton Book out from the library, where 4 children run away to a island. I have a feeling the boy and two girls were siblings and the oldest boy was their friend. It wasnt a famous five/ secret seven though... might be a adventure one! Does this sound familiar?
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Post by Buster on Jun 23, 2009 14:50:20 GMT 1
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Post by Claire on Jun 23, 2009 19:34:12 GMT 1
Cant remember reading that one mysteryarab tho I know which one you mean. The ones I liked were the Island of Adventure, Castle of Adventure etc with 4 kids and a parrot called Kiki. The famous 5 got up my nose a bit, especially George. I mean I was a tomboy when a kid but I certainly didnt WANT to be a BOY! ;D
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Post by fizz on Jun 23, 2009 20:51:13 GMT 1
The Island series appear incredibly racist today. I was quite horrified at some of the descriptions. There is this bit in Mountain of Adventure where the Welshman helping the children with the donkeys runs away in fright saying something like.."..black, black, black...!" Then one of the children sees a "black face, with woolly hair & thick lips" & screams in fright; the character refers to himself as a nigger. These books must have been very degrading to West Indian children who arrived in the UK around the time of their publication. I read them as a child & never noticed anything amiss. I suppose that is what creates institutional racism. Are they still in print? I expect they have been altered. Mine date from the 1950s.
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Post by Claire on Jun 23, 2009 21:55:56 GMT 1
They are still in print or were til quite recently fizz, and yes they were revised! I didnt notice anything amiss when reading them as a child either, but then the older adults in real life around me used to talk like that then! Both my grandad and one of my grans were extremely racist, a lot of people from that generation were in the uk.
From todays perpective we can see that EB was extrmely racist, sexist and class-ist (whatever the word is!) But books in the 30s and 40s were written for white middle class children so I suppose its hardly surprising.
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Post by Buster on Jun 24, 2009 0:39:23 GMT 1
Yeah theres a book she wrote called 'The Little Black Doll' which my mum had, and in it she wanted to be pink- LOL! That would never be allowed now!
I loved the famous five, although Anne is pretty annoying! x
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Post by Deleted on Jun 24, 2009 7:31:05 GMT 1
A book I read as a child was called something like Little Black Sambo  And like others have said, at the time I didn't notice it being racist! |
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Post by fizz on Jun 24, 2009 7:54:18 GMT 1
My parents were racist too; but then they grew up in the era the White Man was considered superior & we had an empire. My Mum had an old school book from the 1930s that had descriptions of different races & described West Indian men (actually we are not allowed to say West Indian at work, even though they refer to themselves as such) as being lazy & that they prefer to sit in the sun all day to working; & other negative descriptions of none white colonials.
I also never felt any jealousy or discomfort at children having big houses or ponies in books either.
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Post by trixiepony on Jun 25, 2009 12:06:10 GMT 1
Cool I love the famous five books, I know there not corect now a days but I still like them.
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The hardbacks are very nice books arent they? I have sold loads on ebay and they are very popular. I do like the illustrator Eileen Soper.
its good, and I have that picture on it but its fairly recent. Bought at W H Smiths when I was little! Lol! x
And like others have said, at the time I didn't notice it being racist! 
